


Sunshine and Solace

by Alice_Rolfe



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types, Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Fluff, SO MUCH FLUFF
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-16
Updated: 2014-11-16
Packaged: 2018-02-25 14:14:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2624783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alice_Rolfe/pseuds/Alice_Rolfe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will Solace has a way with medicine and may have just found the way to Nico's heart.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sunshine and Solace

**Author's Note:**

> Wow so I wrote this instead of doing my Nano word count today. I have 0 priorities in life. In case you're just as confused as I am, there are three parts to this and this is part three. Here's [Part One](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2437181) and here's [Part Two](http://archiveofourown.org/works/2617436). You can read any of these as stand alone fics which is why they're separate works.
> 
> XOXO Alice

Nico really didn’t try to think about how self conscious he felt with Will in his room, or anywhere in the Hades’ cabin at all.

“Are those… coffins?” Will asked.

For a moment, Nico was glad to see Will take a bit of his usual easy going nature back, even if it was at his own expense.

“Uh, yeah” Nico said flatly. “Those are coffins.”

Will giggled, his blue eyes losing some of their sadness in the process. “Maybe I should start calling you Vampire Boy then.”

“No” Nico deadpanned. “No do not call me Vampire Boy.”

“Whatever you say, Dracula” Will called out to him as Nico rolled his eyes and looked through his stuff for a gold drachma.

Nico finally found what he was looking for in the pocket of one of the only three pairs of black jeans he owned. Seeing his nearly barren drawers, Will frowned.

“The boy owns three pairs of jeans and they’re all black. Aren’t you a catch?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be upset? Don’t try to hide it under stupid jokes and make me think you’re okay.”

Nico saw Will’s jaw clench and his smile dropped slightly, just a small bit, but Nico didn’t miss it. Even so, Will refused to show how he was really feeling. Nico heaved a sigh and watched as Will nestled himself into one of the coffins. He felt a blush creeping up his cheeks.

“Um…” Nico began.

Will raised his eyebrows and looked up and Nico from inside the coffin. His blue eyes twinkled with that innocent sort of affection that Nico still hadn’t gotten used to seeing because the twinkle, that affection, it was for him. The idea that the son of Apollo could be dealing with everything that had been piled onto his plate after the war yet still find it in himself to actually like him was both amazing and terrifying. Nico gulped.

“That’s my coffin, er, bed.”

Will’s brow furrowed for the smallest fraction of a second before a grin spread itself across his face. He patted the empty sheets next to him.

“Will, we’re supposed to be going to the Underworld” Nico mumbled, his cheeks growing warmer.

“The Underworld will still be there in ten minutes Nico.”

With another heavy sigh Nico sank into the sheets next to Will. Even though they were creepy, coffins honestly were pretty comfortable. They kept you all nestled in and warm and the blankets would wrap around you just right and-

Nico’s thoughts were interrupted when all of his senses turned their attention to Will, who’d threaded his fingers though Nico’s and snuggled right up close to the younger boy.

“So here’s the thing” Will began, his eyes fixed on Nico’s. “I love being a doctor. I love knowing that every now and then I save someone, that because of me, someone is still out there living their life. It’s just, I don’t want to be there for people, but I have to. I need to.”

Nico thought for a moment. “So you don’t want to help people?”

“Yes, I mean no” Will stammered. “It’s like when… When you…” Will paused as he gathered his thoughts, and Nico tried to ignore the son of Apollo’s hand that had moved from holding his, to absentmindedly playing with his hair as he spoke. 

Nico hated to admit it, but he actually loved people playing with his hair. The motion put him to sleep, made him feel warm and comfortable and safe. He didn’t really want to fall asleep on Will though. Even with his lack of social skills he knew that would be rude. Then the son of Apollo regained his thoughts.

“What’s one thing you could never live without?”

“Huh?” Nico asked half because he was taken off guard by the question and half because Will’s fingers were still working their way through his hair and he was getting drowsy.

“One thing that you can’t live without. What is it?”

Nico hadn’t every really thought about anything like that. Normally, he probably would’ve said Bianca, but she was gone, so he wasn’t sure. Maybe Hazel? Briefly, Will entered his head, but Nico wasn’t about to say that aloud. He’d known the boy less than a week. They were still getting to know each other, but for as far as Nico could tell, Will worked fast.

Eventually he shrugged. “I don’t know.”

Will hummed and propped himself up on his elbow, staring down at Nico. He missed Will playing with his hair.

“Well think of it like this then. Let’s say you couldn’t live without bananas.”

“Why bananas?”

“Because… Medical reasons, don’t question it.”

“What do bananas have to do with…”

Will put a hand over Nico’s mouth. “I’m the doctor. I make the banana rules.”

“You’re not making any sense.”

“Just listen. So you can’t live without bananas. Let’s say every banana you bought was a rotten or bruise banana no matter what you did. What would you do?”

“I’d stop buying bananas” Nico replied simply.

“But you can’t live without them.”

“Then I guess I’d have to eat the rotten ones.”

“Exactly!” Will practically screamed, almost crushing Nico in his excitement. “I can’t live without helping people, without healing them, but everyone who comes for healing has been hurt. They’re injured in some way- rotten, bruised, whatever. I have to take them for what they are and just hope I can heal them, but it’s like I take their pain for them because I’m eating the rotten banana or the bruised banana and I can’t stop and it hurts so bad that I just… Can’t sometimes.”

Nico wasn’t entirely sure that he understood Will’s analogy, but he did know what it was like to hurt so bad where you just simply couldn’t. It didn’t matter what, you just couldn’t. Instinctively, he wrapped Will in a hug, feeling the wet drips of Will’s tears roll down the back of his neck.

“Are you crying again?” Nico asked, voice muffled in Will’s neck.

“No” Will whimpered.

“Yes you are” Nico said, shaking his head.

Will didn’t respond, but the two just sat there holding each other for a few minutes. Nico didn’t comment on Will’s sniffled or shaky cried, just let him let it out. Finally, Will pulled away and Nico was amazed out how quickly his body temperature seemed to change from how innately warm Will was.  
The son of Apollo sniffled again and offered Nico a weak smile, sweeping away the bangs falling into Nico’s eyes as the two lay there.

“I don’t want to go to the Underworld” he said softly, avoiding Nico’s eyes.

“I think it might help you though, to see… everything.” Nico said trying to stop himself from yet again jumping to the conclusion that Will just thought he was a freak from a freakier place.

“I know” Will said. “But I don’t think I’m ready to see that. It’s death and I don’t know if I’ll do so well with so much of it as it is down there.”

The back of Will’s hand brushed against Nico’s cheek and the son of Hades curled into the touch.

“Then again you’re a lot like death, Vampire Boy. I do pretty well with you.”

Nico’s heart melted and in that moment Nico realized that if he was everything ice and dark and death, then Will was just the opposite: warm and light and lively. And that was okay with Nico. It was perfect because even the people with the most life in them could experience darkness and Nico, with all his darkness and rage, had it in him to experience something different. He could have a little light in his life, a little sun to warm him just like how Will could use someone to tell him that it’s not always happiness and sunshine and that’s okay too. It’s okay to be upset.

“What are you thinking?” Will asked quietly.

“You’ll laugh” Nico said, cheeks flushing.

“Probably, but it’s only because you’re funny” Will said with a smirk.

“See everything’s a joke” Nico said mockingly.

“No, no I’ll be serious. Tell me.”

Nico struggled for the right way to word it without scaring Will off. “I was just thinking how we’re kind of like opposites, but how in the end we balance each other out.”

Will tilted his head, an adorable expression painting his features as he considered Nico’s words. The small sliver of light that came through the curtains hit his face in the most outrageously perfect way that Nico wanted to scream at Aphrodite for screwing with his heart. But he knew Aphrodite wasn’t all to blame here.

“The dark and the light” Will said finally.

“Yeah” Nico said sheepishly because he still wasn’t sure how Will was taking the idea. His thoughts were put at ease when Will replied.

“I like it” he said with a smile, and Nico could no longer see the sadness that had lingered there from the hospital. Will was slowly getting his hope back. “I like you” Will added.

Nico tried to look away, at anywhere but Will, but they were in a coffin and that didn’t leave many options.

Will chuckled. “You could say you like me too di Angelo.”

Nico looked up into Will’s big blue eyes. The son of Apollo talked smug, but Nico saw the genuine question behind the smile. Do you actually like me? Will seemed to ask.

“I like you too Solace.”

Will snuggled into Nico’s side again and Nico breathed a contented sigh as the son of Apollo went back to playing with his hair.

“One day I’ll go to the Underworld and see everything. I promise” Will breathed out after a few minutes.

“I’ll be here at full strength when you’re ready.”

Nico instantly regretted saying that as Will launched into full doctor mode, explaining how long Nico would need to wait, what powers he could use, blah, blah, blah.

“Will” Nico said, cutting him off.

“What?”

“Shut up”

For a second Will looked hurt, but quickly resorted back to his easy going grin. “Somebody has to make sure you don’t run around being reckless.”

“Well somebody has to make sure you don’t run around worried to death, but not telling anyone about it” Nico said pointedly.

“What?” Will yelled. “You’re the king of not telling anyone anything.”

“No I’m the King of Ghosts” Nico said and moved closer to the son of Apollo, locking eyes with him. “But I’ll tell you something right now.”

Will’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “What’s that?” he asked.

Nico did it without thinking. He knew that if he thought too much about it, he wouldn’t have done it. Without hesitation, he scooped the son of Apollo’s cheek in his hand and placed his lips on Will’s. The son of Apollo didn’t so much as flinch, and when the kiss broke he wore the biggest grin Nico had ever seen on the kid.

“I’ve been waiting for you to do that for years” Will said, slightly breathless.

Nico’s brow furrowed in confusion. “Years?” he asked.

Will gave a guilty half smile and suddenly it all hit Nico like a freight train. He’d only really known Will for a few days, but how long had the son of Apollo known him? Nico’s stomach fluttered. They’d have time to discuss all of that. He’d have time to know Will better than he knew himself. He’d have time for it all because Will had had time and Nico was going to give it all back. He turned around so that his back was to Will and the son of Apollo wrapped his arms around the smaller boy.

“Hey Will?” Nico asked tentatively.

“Yeah?”

“You’re my solace” Nico said.

He knew it was corny and he wasn’t sure what he expected. What he hadn’t expected was a hoot of obnoxious laughter and Will laughing so hard that he had to push Nico away exclaiming, “Ghost Boy, you are the sappiest.”


End file.
